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Have you ever asked yourself this question?

In today's episode, I give you a different perspective on your child's behaviour....understanding how they respond to conflict. This is important because it impacts their behaviour in conflict (which is what we see when they "misbehave"). I hope you enjoy this solo episode!

SOURCES:

I look back at my conversation with Dr. Marc Brackett as well. You can listen to this episode below in case you missed it:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reflective-parenting-by-curious-neuron/id1440533170?i=1000640865943

Below is the article I mention "RSA reactivity to parent-child conflict as a predictor of dysregulated emotion and behavior in daily life"

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7908813/pdf/nihms-1668983.pdf

The blog post related to this podcast:

https://curiousneuron.com/2025/07/20/child-conflict-stress-response-behaviour/

Watch it on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/NwH988IDIi4

More ways to build emotion regulation skills with Curious Neuron!

Record your message to ask a question, share an insight or give us some feedback! https://www.speakpipe.com/ReflectiveParentingPodcast

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A science-based course that helps you learn how to cope with emotions, stress, your child's behaviour and your partner! Plus, a weekly coaching call to help you build awareness and practice new tools.

https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join our FREE Monthly Parental Well-Being Webinar Series:

https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/989145490b

Grab a Free Resource:

• FREE Workbook: Staying Calm When Your Child Isn’t: A Parent’s Guide to Triggers and Emotions
• FREE Kids Activity: Help! My Emotions Are Confusing

Email: info@curiousneuron.com

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In this episode of the Reflective Parenting Podcast, host Cindy Hovington delves into the transformative power of playfulness in parenting. Drawing from personal experiences and expert insights, Cindy explores how embracing play can enhance parent-child connections and support emotional development.

Discover practical tips to integrate play into daily routines, even when it feels challenging, and learn why joining your child's world can be a game-changer. Tune in for a heartfelt discussion that encourages parents to let go of guilt and embrace the joy of play.

Use CODE: PODCAST15 to get 15% off your first 3 months of the Reflective Parenting Club

Resources:

Study: Quality and Quantity: A Study of Father–Toddler Rough-and-Tumble Play

Listen to my interview with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson and Amy Chiu:

Supporting Emotional Development Through Play with Tina

What happens when we let kids be kids with Amy

More ways to build emotion regulation skills with Curious Neuron!

Record your message to ask a question, share an insight or give us some feedback! https://www.speakpipe.com/ReflectiveParentingPodcast

Start your 7 day FREE trial of the Reflective Parent Club

A science-based course that helps you learn how to cope with emotions, stress, your child's behaviour and your partner! Plus, a weekly coaching call to help you build awareness and practice new tools.

https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join our FREE Monthly Parental Well-Being Webinar Series:

https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/989145490b

Grab a Free Resource:

• FREE Workbook: Staying Calm When Your Child Isn’t: A Parent’s Guide to Triggers and Emotions
• FREE Kids Activity: Help! My Emotions Are Confusing

Email: info@curiousneuron.com

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In this podcast episode, I delve into invalidation and its significant impact on romantic relationships. I highlight common invalidating statements such as "Why are you upset?", "You're overreacting," or "Calm down," explaining that these make a partner feel their emotions are wrong, unjustified, or excessive. This can lead to increased frustration, shame, and a sense of being alone in their struggle, mirroring the hurt children feel when invalidated.

I emphasize the importance of using validating alternatives, such as "I see that you're feeling upset. Can you tell me what's making you feel this way?" or "It sounds like you're feeling anxious right now. That must be really uncomfortable. How can I support you?". These phrases aim to make the partner feel seen and heard, fostering connection and reducing conflict.

I then introduce a study on marital conflict behaviors, categorizing them into three styles:

•Destructive: Includes actions like yelling, insults, criticism, or bringing up past issues.

•Constructive: Involves calm discussion, active listening, saying nice things, or trying to make a spouse laugh.

•Withdrawal: Entails disengaging, such as becoming quiet or leaving the situation.

The study found that, as expected, husbands and wives who reported using more destructive behaviors had a higher rate of divorce. A particularly fascinating and counter-intuitive finding was that greater constructive behaviors among wives predicted greater divorce rates. Learn more in this episode!

Listen to my conversation with author of Validation, Dr. Caroline Fleck:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reflective-parenting-by-curious-neuron/id1440533170?i=1000715100953

Read the full study:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3777640/pdf/nihms494814.pdf

More ways to build emotion regulation skills with Curious Neuron!

Record your message to ask a question, share an insight or give us some feedback! https://www.speakpipe.com/ReflectiveParentingPodcast

Start your 7 day FREE trial of the Reflective Parent Club

A science-based course that helps you learn how to cope with emotions, stress, your child's behaviour and your partner! Plus, a weekly coaching call to help you build awareness and practice new tools.

https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join our FREE Monthly Parental Well-Being Webinar Series:

https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/989145490b

Grab a Free Resource:

• FREE Workbook: Staying Calm When Your Child Isn’t: A Parent’s Guide to Triggers and Emotions
• FREE Kids Activity: Help! My Emotions Are Confusing

Email: info@curiousneuron.com

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Do you ever wonder why your child’s big emotions feel so overwhelming—or why small conflicts with your partner can spiral? In this episode, I sit down with psychologist Dr. Caroline Fleck to unpack the skill of validation—what it is, why it matters, and how it can radically change the way you connect with yourself, your kids, and everyone you love.

We explore what invalidation really sounds like (it’s often subtle) and why even well-meaning parents can accidentally shut down their child’s emotions. Dr. Fleck shares simple, powerful scripts for validating feelings without condoning hurtful behaviors, and we discuss research showing how invalidation increases the risk of mental health struggles and gets passed across generations.

Whether you’re parenting a toddler or a teen—or just want more connected relationships—this episode will give you tools to break cycles of invalidation and build deeper trust through emotional clarity.

Don’t miss this conversation—because learning to “validate the valid” might be the most important parenting skill you ever master.

Sources:

Science Sources:

Parental Validation and Invalidation Predict Adolescent Self- Harm

More ways to build emotion regulation skills with Curious Neuron!

Record your message to ask a question, share an insight or give us some feedback! https://www.speakpipe.com/ReflectiveParentingPodcast

Start your 7 day FREE trial of the Reflective Parent Club

A science-based course that helps you learn how to cope with emotions, stress, your child's behaviour and your partner! Plus, a weekly coaching call to help you build awareness and practice new tools.

https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join our FREE Monthly Parental Well-Being Webinar Series:

https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/989145490b

Grab a Free Resource:

• FREE Workbook: Staying Calm When Your Child Isn’t: A Parent’s Guide to Triggers and Emotions
• FREE Kids Activity: Help! My Emotions Are Confusing

Email: info@curiousneuron.com

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with Amy Chiu

In today’s fast-paced world, it can be tough to slow down and truly let kids be kids. We often get caught up in schedules, expectations, and the pressure to “make learning happen.” But what if the most powerful learning happens when we pause, play, and simply show up with presence?

In this episode, Dr. Cindy Hovington speaks with early childhood expert Amy Chiu about the magic of free play and the importance of slowing down. Amy explains how play isn’t just fun—it’s a key tool for building curiosity, emotional regulation, and problem-solving. She shares why giving kids space to lead their play fosters deeper learning than worksheets ever could.

Whether you're a parent, caregiver, or educator, you'll find science-backed insights and simple, practical ways to support your child—by doing less.

🔑 What You’ll Hear:

• Why slowing down and free play matter for real learning
• How presence and pause transform connection
• The power of observing rather than directing kids’ play
• Simple ways to bring downtime and emotional check-ins into daily life

Related Podcast Episode:

Over-parenting (helicopter parenting)

Mentioned in This Episode:
📖 The Work of Play→ Amy Chiu’s website and resource hub for parents and educators reimagining early childhood learning.

Follow Amy on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-chiu-msed-a09a1a27b/

Scientific Article: Learning Through Play at School – A Framework for Policy and Practice

More ways to build emotion regulation skills with Curious Neuron!

Record your message to ask a question, share an insight or give us some feedback! https://www.speakpipe.com/ReflectiveParentingPodcast

Start your 7 day FREE trial of the Reflective Parent Club

A science-based course that helps you learn how to cope with emotions, stress, your child's behaviour and your partner! Plus, a weekly coaching call to help you build awareness and practice new tools.

https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join our FREE Monthly Parental Well-Being Webinar Series:

https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/989145490b

Grab a Free Resource:

• FREE Workbook: Staying Calm When Your Child Isn’t: A Parent’s Guide to Triggers and Emotions
• FREE Kids Activity: Help! My Emotions Are Confusing

Email: info@curiousneuron.com

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In today's solo episode, I share a little more of my personal story with the hopes of helping you feel validated, less alone or even empowered.

Father's Day (or even Mother's Day) can be difficult when you have a parent that is alive yet you have no idea where they are because they left your family decades ago.

They knew you existed and they chose to leave you.

I share a little more about my childhood and about how that impacted me later when I became a parent.

Do you have a story you want to share (anonymously) with me about your own dad or your journey as a dad? Click the link below!

https://curiousneuron.typeform.com/to/kd6zw438

Here is the study I referred to in the episode in case you want more details.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/1342C24F368FB2953C342AFF875E04A6/S0954579423000354a.pdf/div-class-title-father-contribution-to-human-resilience-div.pdf

If you are a dad ready to learn how to cope and regulate your emotions, try out the Reflective Parent Club, free for 7 days before committing. See link below.

More ways to build emotion regulation skills with Curious Neuron!

Record your message to ask a question, share an insight or give us some feedback! https://www.speakpipe.com/ReflectiveParentingPodcast

Start your 7 day FREE trial of the Reflective Parent Club

A science-based course that helps you learn how to cope with emotions, stress, your child's behaviour and your partner! Plus, a weekly coaching call to help you build awareness and practice new tools.

https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join our FREE Monthly Parental Well-Being Webinar Series:

https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/989145490b

Grab a Free Resource:

• FREE Workbook: Staying Calm When Your Child Isn’t: A Parent’s Guide to Triggers and Emotions
• FREE Kids Activity: Help! My Emotions Are Confusing

Email: info@curiousneuron.com

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with Daisy Dowling

Balancing work and parenting feels impossible sometimes, doesn’t it? Between deadlines, meetings, and the constant demands at home, many working parents feel overwhelmed, guilty, and stretched too thin.

In this episode, Dr. Cindy Hovington talks with Daisy Dowling, author of Work Parent, about redefining what work-life balance really means — and why aiming for a perfect “straight line” isn’t the goal. Instead, Daisy shares practical “hacks” to help working parents manage stress, set realistic expectations, and take meaningful moments for rest and self-care.

They dive into how to build your personal and professional “brand,” why keeping an “already done” list can lower overwhelm, and how small choices today can lead to a happier future — both at work and at home.

This episode is full of relatable insights and actionable strategies to help working parents feel less frazzled and more grounded.

🔑 What You’ll Hear:

• Why work-life balance isn’t a fixed state — it’s more like riding waves
• How to define your professional and parenting “brands” to empower your identity
• The Zeigarnik Effect & the power of an “already done” list to combat overwhelm and guilt
• Why rest and recovery are essential — even in small daily moments
• Tips to reframe self-doubt and reduce anxiety about work performance
  
  

Mentioned in This Episode:
📖 Work Parent by Daisy Dowling

→ A go-to guide for working parents struggling with the dual challenges of careers & kids.

Scientific Source:

Read our blog post:

https://curiousneuron.com/2025/06/08/parental-burnout-is-real-what-every-working-parent-needs-to-know/

More ways to build emotion regulation skills with Curious Neuron!

Record your message to ask a question, share an insight or give us some feedback! https://www.speakpipe.com/ReflectiveParentingPodcast

Start your 7 day FREE trial of the Reflective Parent Club

A science-based course that helps you learn how to cope with emotions, stress, your child's behaviour and your partner! Plus, a weekly coaching call to help you build awareness and practice new tools.

https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join our FREE Monthly Parental Well-Being Webinar Series:

https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/989145490b

Grab a Free Resource:

• FREE Workbook: Staying Calm When Your Child Isn’t: A Parent’s Guide to Triggers and Emotions
• FREE Kids Activity: Help! My Emotions Are Confusing

Email: info@curiousneuron.com

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Hi dear friends,

From the number of you that downloaded our last grounding meditation, it seems like you enjoyed it!

I decided to created another one for you, this time it is to help you on a day when you feel like you are failing.

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reflective-parenting-by-curious-neuron/id1440533170?i=1000709341181

If there is a specific moment you struggle with, tell me in the form below and I will create an audio for this moment.

https://curiousneuron.typeform.com/to/UoUF6piC

I hope you enjoy it!

More ways to build emotion regulation skills with Curious Neuron!

Record your message to ask a question, share an insight or give us some feedback! https://www.speakpipe.com/ReflectiveParentingPodcast

Start your 7 day FREE trial of the Reflective Parent Club

A science-based course that helps you learn how to cope with emotions, stress, your child's behaviour and your partner! Plus, a weekly coaching call to help you build awareness and practice new tools.

https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/

Join our FREE Monthly Parental Well-Being Webinar Series:

https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/989145490b

Grab a Free Resource:

• FREE Workbook: Staying Calm When Your Child Isn’t: A Parent’s Guide to Triggers and Emotions
• FREE Kids Activity: Help! My Emotions Are Confusing

Email: info@curiousneuron.com

📸 Instagram | 🧠 Reflective Parenting F...